Mail-crane.



PATENTED APR. 14, 1908.

A. G. MoGORD..

MAIL CRANE. APPLICATION FILED OCT; 31. 1907.

we NORRIS PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, u, c

ALVIN C. MGCORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-CRANE Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 31, 1907.

Patented April 14, 1908.

Serial No. 400,007.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVIN C. lWIoCoRD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Cranes and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide a simplified andgenerally improved mail crane and to this end it consists of the noveldevices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined inthe claims.

More particularly stated, the invention relates to mail cranes, thebag-holding arms of which are adapted to be locked in position todeliver the bag supported thereby, to a passing train, and then toautomatically swing into position out of the way of passing trains.

The accompanying drawings show the improved mail crane.

In these drawings like characters indicate like parts throughout theseveral views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation, showing theimproved crane and a mail-bag held by the arms thereof in position to bedelivered to a passing train. Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation andpartly in vertical section, showing the lower art of the crane, theupper portion thereof being broken away. Fig. 3 1s a detail inelevation, illustrating particularly the cam or spiral connectionbetween the fixed and movable sections of 'the crane, the said partsbeing viewed in op osite direction from that in which .they are s 1OWI1in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a detail in horizontal section, taken on the irregular line 0000 of Fig. 2.

The relatively fixed section of the crane is in the form of a tubularstandard 1, the lower end of which, as shown, is secured to a base 2,Which, in turn, is ada ted to be rigidly secured to a station platformor other suitable support at the side of a railway track. To the upperend of the tubular standard 1 is rigidly secured a sleeve-like cam head3 which has a spiral cam groove 4 and constitutes part of the completestandard.

The movable section of the crane is made u of a mast 5 and a pair ofarms 6 and 7. The upper arm 6 is rigidly secured to the upper end of themast, as shown, by means of an elbow coupling 8 and an oblique bracket9. The lower arm 7, at its inner end, is pivoted to a bearing 10 that isrigidly secured to the intermediate ortion of the mast 5. Attheir outerends, t e arms 6 and 7 are rovided with rigidly secured fingers 11 ELIICcooperating spring fingers 12, which fingers cooperate to form yieldinggrapples that are adapted to detachably hold rings 13 that are a pliedin the usual or any suitable way to.

t e up er and lower ends of the mail bag 14.

The ower end of the mast 5 is telescoped into the tubular standard 1 andis capable of rotary and vertical movements therein. Rigidly secured tothe mast 5 and working in the spiral groove 4 of the cam head 3, is acam pin or peg 15, the outer end of which is preferably extended farenough to afford a convenient handiece.

Pivoted to a bearing 16 secured to the mast 5, at a point above the campin 15, is a so-called trigger or trigger-acting lock lever 17, thelower end of which, as shown, is adapted to engage a notch 18 in the camhead 3 when the mast 5 and its arms 67 are raised slightly and swunginto the position shown in the drawings, with its said arms in positionto support the mail bag for delivery to a passing train.

To the upper end of the trigger 17 is secured a buffer block 19 of anysuitable material, but preferably of oak. This buffer block 19 is solocated that it will be struck by the free end of the pivoted lower arm7, when the latter is allowed to drop.

The numeral 20 indicates a buffer block of any suitable material, butpreferably of oak, and which, as shown, is secured to the brace bracket9 in such position that it will engage with the free end of the pivotedarm 7 in case said arm should be carelessly thrown up ward, therebypreventing the grapple fingers 11 and 12 of said pivoted arm from beingthrown against the u per arm 6.

The numeral 21 inc licates steps secured to the standard 1, and 21indicates steps secured to the mast 5.

The numeral 22 indicates a lantern hook, shown as secured to the mast 5.The mast 5 and arms 6 and 7 are preferably made of wrought iron pipe.

The steps 21 and 21 permit the carrier to climb up the crane, hang themail bag on the upper arm, raise the lower arm to a proper position andattach it to thelower end of the bag. The carrier may then descend tothe ground and, by taking hold of the projecting end of the so-calledcam pin 15, (which pin serves as an operating lever) easily rotate themast through approximately 90 degrees and thereby turn the arms 6 and 7into a position at a right angle to the track, or, in other words, inposition to deliver the mail bag to the passing train. Under this rotarymovement of the mast, the cam groove 4, acting on said cam pin, raisesthe mast, its arms 6 and 7 and, of'course, the mail bag. In thisposition the lower end of the trigger or triggeracting lever en ages thenotch 18 of the head 3 and thereby ocks the mast in its elevatedposition against rotation and with its arms olding the mail bag, as juststated.

When the passing train takes the mail bag from the arms 6 and 7, thelower end of said arm 7 falls and its free end strikes the head orbuffer block 19 of the trigger lever 17 and throws the lower end of saidlever out of engagement with the notch 18 of the head 3. The movablesection of the crane being thus I get out of order.

released, its weight causes it to lower, and the cam groove 4, acting onthe cam pin or handle 15, rotates the mast back into a position in whichits arms 6-7 stand approximately parallel with the track.

The mail, crane above described, while strong and durable, may be chea1y constructed and has no parts that are ikely to Furthermore, as isabove magic evident, it may be very easily operate What I claim is:

1. A swinging crane com rising a standard, a mast journaled to saidstandard and provided with a pair of bag-supporting arms,

3 a trigger-acting lock lever intermediately pivoted to said mast andengageable with said standard, to lock said mast in a raised position,and which lever is so located that it will be struck by said pivoted armand released, when said lower arm is dropped, substantially asdescribed.

2. A swinging crane comprising a tubular standard, a mast journaled tosaid standard and provided with a pair of bag-supporting arms, the lowerof which is pivoted, a cam on said standard, a cam pin secured to saidmast and cooperating with said cam to cause said mast to turn when movedvertically, and a trigger-acting lock lever intermediately pivoted tosaid mast engageable with a notch in the up er end of said standard, tolock said mast in a raised position and against rotation, and with itsupper end so located that it will be struck by said pivoted arm, andsaid lever released, when said arm is dropped, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a swinging crane, the combination with a tubular standard, havinga spiral cam and a lock notch in its upper end portion, of

a mast telescoped into said standard and provided with a pair ofbag-supporting arms, the lower of which is pivoted, a in carried by saidmast and cooperating with said cam to cause said mast to turn when movedvertically, the said pin projecting and affording a handle by means ofwhich said mast may be turned, and a tri ger-acting lock leverintermediately pivote to said mast, the lower end thereof beingengageable with a lock notch in said standard, to lock said mast in araised position and against rotation, and with its upper end so locatedthat it will be struck by said pivoted arm, and said lever released,when said arm is dropped, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALVIN C. McCORD.

Witnesses:

E. B. FLEIscH, S. J. COPELAND.

